Marvel Studios has dropped the ‘Werewolf by Night’ television special on the Disney+ streaming platform.
The studio has received tons of criticism for its over-experimental approach to Phase Four projects. Most of the movies under Phase Four have received highly polarised critical and audience reception. On the other hand, almost all tv shows under the ongoing phase have performed incredibly well. Now, the studio is ready to explore the field of television specials. And Marvel could not have asked for a better start in that field than ‘Werewolf by Night’.
The latest MCU television special serves as a perfect tribute to the vintage Hollywood horror movies from the 1930s and 1940s. It offers violence and gore as much as it can under the PG-13 parameters. Still, it means a lot to many MCU fans.
Marvel did try to venture into the horror genre with Sam Raimi’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness earlier this year. But it failed miserably. Yup, the performances and the visuals were good. But they got buried under Michael Waldron’s ‘joke of a script’. Yes, he did a pretty good job with the Loki series. But his work in the Doctor Strange sequel will haunt him for the rest of his life. And now, he has been hired to pen down the script of Avengers: Secret Wars. Fingers crossed!
The latest television special is mostly shot in black and white. Makers have given a satisfying retro-style feel to the overall special. Although, it made the visuals a bit glitchy. But it works!
SPOILER WARNING!
The special starts with Jack Russell’s arrival at Bloodstone Manor. Upon reaching there, he encounters other monster hunters. They all gathered there to pay respects to Ulysses Bloodstone and participate in a deadly competition to become the new owner of an ancient powerful relic, Bloodstone. Ulysses’ widow, Verusa, announces that the participants have to slay a dangerous monster, Man-Thing, to emerge victorious. Ulysses’ estranged daughter, Elsa, also arrives there to get her hands on the Bloodstone. On the other hand, Jack has no interest in that relic. Instead, he came there to save his friend, Man-Thing aka Ted Sallis.
All hell breaks loose after Jack gets exposed to Bloodstone, courtesy of Verusa, and turns into a vicious werewolf. He slaughters all the guards and monster hunters with Elsa’s help. But the power of Bloodstone proves to be too much for him. Verusa takes advantage of this situation and uses that relic to stop him. However, Elsa stabs Verusa from behind and thus saves him.
Verusa manages to survive and starts threatening Elsa. But thanks to Man-Thing, he returns and burns the former alive with his bare hands.
Gael Garcia Bernal as Jack (Werewolf by Night) looks amazing. And Laura Donnelly does complete justice to Elsa Bloodstone. She flawlessly brings out the badass persona of her character on the screen. Plus, the chemistry between her and Bernal looked wonderful.
Academy Award-winning composer, Michael Giacchino, proves that he has what it takes to be a sensational director in Hollywood. He bestows a near-perfect modern-day horror classic with the newest MCU special.
‘Werewolf by Night’ is spooky, fun, exciting, and violent. A must-watch! Stream it now on Disney+ Hotstar. Stay tuned for more updates.
We’re hiring!
We are hiring two full-time junior to mid-level writers with the option to work remotely. You need to work a 5-hour shift and be available to write. Interested candidates should email their sample articles to [email protected]. Applications without a sample article will not be considered.
